FAQs

General Questions

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What languages are available for the tours?

We offer English, Spanish, French & Dutch for our private tours, but please check with us if you have a specific request. All of our public weekly tours are held in English.

What is your cancellation policy?

If a booking is canceled 72 hours prior to the UnTour, we will refund the booking less 20%. Refunds will not be given for cancellations less than 72 hours in advance. However, we will issue a refund les 20% within 72 hours only in the event of an emergency or due to severe weather (i.e. typhoon. Rain is not severe weather. Trust us, we have a meteorological parent). In case of severe weather we will make every effort to reschedule your UnTour for another day if possible. If we are unable to do so then we will refund your booking in full.

Do you offer customized tours?

Send us an email at info@untourshanghai.com and we’ll let you know if we can create a customized UnTour itinerary based on your needs.

How many people are generally on your UnTours?

On our scheduled public tours, our maximum capacity is 8-14 people, depending on the tour. We can also host larger groups of up to 30 people for teambuilding and other group activities. Please email us at info@untourshanghai.com for more information about group tours.

Are children welcome? Do you offer a discount?

Children of all ages are welcome to our culinary tours. Babies are free (of course), and children under the age of 12 are half price on our public weekly tours.

Is photography or video at the restaurants allowed?

Yes, but please be courteous. It’s often nice to “ask” locals first. We’ve found a big smile and a bit of sign language can go a long way, or your guide is happy to interpret!

Can you help me with travel plans before or after our time with you?

We are happy to help! When our guests book a tour with us, we often help them with their other travel plans as well. We can help you with hotel, flight and train booking, as well as restaurant recommendations and shopping tips around the city.

Culinary UnTours

Can vegetarians UnTour Shanghai?

All of our weekly culinary tours can be made vegetarian-friendly (although you will have to skip out on a few dishes). Please let us know in advance if you are a vegetarian so we can advise our vendors. We also offer a private Vegetarian Voyage tour designed specifically for our meat-free guests.

Does UnTour Shanghai cater to people with food allergies?

At UnTour Shanghai, we take food allergies very seriously and deal with them on a case-by-case basis. Please email us with your dietary restrictions at info@untourshanghai.com so we can try to customize a culinary UnTour based on your needs. At the end of the day, it is the sole responsibility of the participant to take care of his or her own dietary needs.

Does the UnTour price include food?

Yes. You pay one fee before your food tour and we take care of the rest. All you have to do is work up an appetite!

Can we tip our UnTour Guide?

Of course you may! UnTour Guides gotta eat too!

Is eating in Shanghai safe? I’m concerned about chowing down on street food.

Street food safety is something we take very seriously at UnTour – here’s a link to an article we wrote to help independent travelers arm themselves with knowledge about street food safety. On our tours, we only work with trusted vendors whom we’ve been frequenting for years, and we’ve developed a personal relationship with the vendor, so we know we can trust them.. These stops are our absolute favorite places to eat – the same places we take our family and friends.

Our Philosophy

At UnTour Shanghai, we are firmly committed to minimizing our company and guests’ impact on the local environment and surroundings. We take pride in bringing best practices to share with our Chinese partners and guests, which enhances our guests’ experiences and the sustainability of Shanghai in general. To this end, we have designed our UnTours to use as much “human power” as possible and our tours are predominantly on foot or use public transportation whenever feasible. Good business practices don’t stop with the environment. We are committed to supporting traditional, locally-owned businesses in every UnTour. While we can’t do much to slow China’s fast-paced ascent into the realm of glitzy and modern, we show our appreciation for small business owners who offer quality, locally produced goods and services.